LONDON (TIP): The London Fire Brigade is preparing for an unusual enemy – handcuffs.
Fire chiefs in Britain have expressed serious concern that the new Fifty Shades of Grey film could lead to more people being stuck or trapped in objects like handcuffs or rings.
In 2013/14, firefighters attended 472 incidents involving people being trapped or stuck, often in everyday household items. Official records show this trend has steadily increased year on year since the Fifty Shades of Grey books were release. The Brigade started a campaign called Fifty Shades of Red, asking people to think carefully before getting themselves into sticky situations. Despite the campaign, the Brigade are still called to more than one embarrassing incident every day.
Since April 2013 the capital’s fire crews have been called out to 28 incidents involving people being trapped in handcuffs.
The Brigade said on the eve of the release of the film “Each incident costs taxpayers at least £295, meaning the incidents over the past three years have cost £388,810”.
Third Officer, Dave Brown, said “The Fifty Shades effect seems to spike handcuff incidents so we hope film goers will use common sense and avoid leaving themselves red faced”.
The Brigade issued top tips to help people avoid getting into tricky situations.
It said “Common sense is needed – if it doesn’t look safe, it probably isn’t, so don’t do it. If you use handcuffs, always keep the keys handy”.
The film, based on the novel by EL James, has been described as a “mummy-porn romance” and follows an affair between student Anastasia Steele and billionaire Christian Grey.